A History of translation of the English Bible

History of Translation of the English Bible

Christianity was established in England way back in the mid-6th century and since then , the bible played a key role in English Christianity . But when we refer to the English Bible , it does not literally mean that the bible belongs to England , but rather , the Scriptures have been translated and written in the English language (Bruce 1 . There were probably numerous translations of the Scriptures in the English language made by the earliest English missionaries , but these could have been lost even before they have

been documented , and , the reason behind their loss , is yet unknown at this time

IT NEEDS DATES- The earliest version of the bible known and used in the English Church was in Latin , or otherwise known as the Latin Vulgate made by St . Jerome from A .D . 383 to 405 (Bruce 1 .The Latin Vulgate was the most reliable and readily available source at that time in England and , the first ever , hand-written manuscripts of the bible in the English language produced by theologian , John Wycliffe , was translated out of it

IT NEEDS DATES Wycliffe 's version came late in the fourteenth century (1380s , and his work was considered a major feat at translating the entire Bible into English

His version of the bible attained such popularity throughout Europe and , along with his teachings that opposed the Church of England , it even infuriated the Pope . Wycliffe 's work was evidence of his conviction that the best way to translate from Latin to English was to make the sentence , rather than the individual word , the sense-unit (Bruce xii The positive response of early believers to Wycliffe 's version is proof of a commendable work . It is also interesting to consider that the translators of the English Bible that we know today have likewise adapted the meaning for meaning translation method of Wycliffe . Now , we have the most popular English translations recorded in bible history such as , the Great Bible , Elizabethan Bible , the King James , Revised and the American Standard Versions

Of the mentioned English Bible versions , the King James Version is considered to be the Authorized Version . Simply put , an Authorized Version is one that has been authorized for stated purposes by competent authority (Bruce xii . It was a translation of the Scriptures commissioned for the English Church and was a product of collaborative effort of forty seven bible scholars . The King James Version later on became the English Bible . In its literal and figurative sense , it became the bible of the English people

The Great Bible was called by its name because of its large volume size . The Great Bible was the product of the efforts of diverse scholars , is essentially Coverdale 's revision of Matthew 's Bible (which was principally a revision of Tyndale 's work . It was the first English bible authorized for public use . The Great Bible came about when a decree was made that every English church should make available some place where churchgoers...